Pasqualoni Says Wreh-Wilson OK To Play For UConn On Saturday

UConn senior cornerback and captain Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who tweaked a hamstring last Thursday and did not play against Maryland, is probable for Saturday's game at Western Michigan.

The teams meet at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo at 2 p.m. (ESPN3, WTIC-1080 AM, no live TV). UConn is 2-1; the Broncos are 1-2.

"Blidi has worked and practiced [this week]," UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said on a conference call Thursday. "I would say he's probable."

Junior reserve Taylor Mack filled in for Wreh-Wilson last week at Maryland and did an admirable job, although the one touchdown the Terps got in the air was in Mack's area, a tipped, 29-yard reception by Stefon Diggs. Defensive pass interference also was called on the play. Offensive pass interference could have been called as well. Pasqualoni said he plans to send the tape to the Big East office.

There was no need to replay Bryan Underwood's lunging, one-handed 46-yard grab for a touchdown in N.C. State's 10-7 win over the Huskies on Sept. 8. Mack was covering then as well. He could have used some help over the top from safety Ty-Meer Brown.

Wreh-Wilson's return at corner, where he would join fellow senior Dwayne Gratz, would be huge. They are as good a cornerback combination as there is in the East, and Mack is coming off a big game where, despite being picked on quite a bit, he held his own.

This week, the secondary faces its biggest test of the year.

Alex Carder hit UConn for 479 yards and five touchdowns in a 38-31 win at Rentschler Field last year. He doesn't have the same receivers to throw to, and they're a little banged up, but Western Michigan can play pitch and catch with the best of them. Carder has thrown for more than 800 yards in three games.

Passing Game Issues

UConn has not been too productive at wide receiver. Seniors Nick Williams and Mike Smith have shown flashes of what they can do, as has Geremy Davis, the Huskies' leading receiver at 37.7 yards a game. Sophomore Shakim Phillips, the four-star recruit and Boston College transfer expected to do big things, has caught three passes for 30 yards and had nothing against Maryland.

UConn is 108th in passing offense. Wide receivers have 42 receptions in three games. Davis leads with eight, but five were against UMass in the opener. Western Michigan's Jaime Wilson has 29, just under 10 a game, which is third in the nation.

Is the rotation an issue, where guys can't get in rhythm? The rotation goes from series to series. For example, if Davis and Williams (four receptions) start and the Huskies go three-and-out, that's their rep. Phillips (three catches) and Smith (six receptions) are coming in on the next offensive possession.

"I've gotten every vibe that they are completely comfortable with the rotation," receivers coach Matt Cersosimo said. "They know when they're going in the game. They all know the game plan. That, I don't think is an issue at all. I think they are completely comfortable with what's going on, what they're seeing from a defensive standpoint and what their job responsibilities are. It's just a matter of making sure they're always prepared for their opportunity.

"... Based on the game plan, week in and week out, their number is going to be called at certain points whether it be first or second down, in the red zone, whatever the given situation is, and I think so far they've made the most of the opportunities that they've been given."

But do they need more opportunities?

"There were some opportunities late in the game against N.C. State we did not capitalize on," Cersosimo said. "I think it's a matter of them making sure they make the most out of every time the ball is coming their way, and if they make the most out of it, then more opportunities are going to come down the pike."

Where's Tebucky?

Sophomore Tebucky Jones Jr. is the fifth receiver. He had one catch for 6 yards against UMass and none since.

Jones, whose father, Tebucky Sr., played for Pasqualoni at Syracuse and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots, has been a bit of a mystery. He was, by all accounts, practicing very well in the spring and preseason and spent some time with the first team offense during the "Best vs. the Rest" scrimmage before the season opener.

"Tebucky continues to get better every day and he practices with a purpose every single day," Cersosimo said. "Right now, we're in a four-man rotation and he's the fifth guy. He prepares himself every day to go into the game because he's one play away from being in the game. ... That's my message to him, that he prepares every day like he's the starter. He gets, probably, just as many reps as the starters do in practice." ... Wlliams is eighth in the country in punt return average (21.17 yards). Williams notched his first punt return for a touchdown, a 58-yarder against Maryland, Saturday. ... Senior defensive end Jesse Joseph had surgery on his Achilles Tuesday and is out for the season. ... All but two Division I-A starting quarterbacks have thrown touchdown passes this season: Iowa's James Vandenberg and UConn's Chandler Whitmer.